Data: TomTom; Chart: Axios Visuals. Editor's note: This chart has been corrected to reflect that TomTom's index includes 93 U.S. cities (not 94).
Phoenix drivers ought to tone down their griping. According to a new study, our commutes are relatively easy.
By the numbers: It took an average of about 10.4 minutes to drive 6 miles in 2024, according to TomTom's annual Traffic Index released earlier this month.
That's 9 seconds slower than last year, but still well below other big western cities like Denver (14 minutes) and Houston (12.4 minutes).
Phoenix's commute ranked 69th slowest among the 93 largest U.S. cities.
Yes, but: The average Phoenix driver still lost an average of 31 hours in rush hour last year.
Zoom out: Mesa saw one of the fastest U.S. commutes with an average 6-mile drive time of 9.3 minutes.
How it works: TomTom's report is based on a representative sample of data collected by "over 600 million devices" and "over 61 billion anonymous GPS data points around the world," the company says.
The numbers are based on "the densest areas that capture 20% of all trips within the city-connected area," per TomTom.